Argonne National Laboratory

Research Highlight | Materials Science

Coexistence of merons and skyrmions
In a study published in Advanced Materials, researchers report the coexistence of topological spin textures of merons, anti-merons, and skyrmions in a single ferromagnet.
(a,b) Lorentz TEM images and magnetic induction maps showing the in-plane magnetic domains and merons formed in Fe₅GeTe₂ at 200 K and (c,d) showing the coexistence of domains that display skyrmions under magnetic field along with in-plane domains and merons.

Scientific Achievement

Observation of coexistence of topological spin textures of merons, anti-merons, and Néel skyrmions in a single van der Waals ferromagnet.

Significance and Impact

Understanding the interplay between topological spin textures and unconventional transport of charge/heat carriers can lead to applications in energy-efficient spintronics.

Research Details

  • Meron, anti-meron pairs and Néel skyrmions were observed in van der Waals Fe5-xGeTe2 over wide temperature range via in-situ cryo-Lorentz transmission electron microscopy.
  • Topological Hall effect was measured up to room temperature and beyond as well as anomalous Nernst effect.
  • Combining experiments with simulations enabled understanding of the effect of emergent fields from topological spin textures.

DOI: 10.1002/adma.202212087

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